ESPE Abstracts

Background and Aim: Despite the broad individual variation of pubertal maturation, references traditionally describe growth in relation to just chronological age and not biological age. Hence, growth references for the adolescent period have been of limited usefulness for monitoring individual growth in clinic and for research. Especially for children and adolescents with chronic diseases is there a need to better evaluate if changes in SD-scores just before a...

Background: Since growth patterns change with time due to secular changes, there is a need to regularly update growth references1. We developed the first continuous birth size reference, from gestational age 24weeks with infancy growth references2, computerized 2006 and used in Swedish health care settings and neonatal units. We now aimed to update this reference by exchanging GrowUp1974Gothenburg cohort to a selected population of health...

Objective: Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) seldom achieve their target height. Early adrenarche may accelerate bone age maturation and affect adult height. The QEPS-growth-model have been used for developing growth references and investigating healthy/pathological growth, however, not before used in individuals with endocrine disorders. This study aimed to evaluate growth patterns in CAH-patients with the QEPS-model.<s...

Background: Height references have been available for decades, although only related to chronological age and not considering the broad individual variation in the timing and tempo of pubertal maturation and growth. Therefore, growth references and growth charts for the adolescent period have been of limited usefulness both for monitoring growth in individuals and for research. To fill this gap, we recently developed a new type of height reference based on gro...

Background: Few studies have investigated how the pubertal increase in testicular volume (TV) is related to pubertal growth spurt in a longitudinal setting. Increased TV, indicating onset of puberty in boys, mirrors the enhanced testosterone production in the testicles which also give rise to the pubertal growth spurt. The QEPS-growth model makes it possible to conduct detailed analyses of pubertal growth and separate total growth into specific pubertal (P-fun...

Background: The actual Swedish growth references are based on a cohort born 1974.Objective and hypotheses: Due to secular changes there is need for new height references.Method: Material: Height measurements from birth to adult height (AH) in a cohort of healthy, Nordic and born full term 1990, 20.796 from 1647 boys, 19.202 from 1501 girls were used (ALL) and compared to both a subgroup with puberty close to mean (PHV &#17...

Background: The QEPS-growth-model, developed and validated in GrowUpGothenburg cohorts, used for developing growth references and investigating healthy/pathological growth, lacks external validation from other longitudinal cohorts of healthy individuals.Objective: To investigate if the QEPS-model fits the longitudinal Edinburgh growth study of another design than GrowUpGothenburg cohorts. To compare growth patterns in tw...

Background: Few studies have investigated in detail how the pubertal breast maturation in girls is related to the pubertal growth spurt in a longitudinal setting. The golden standard for assessment of secondary sex characteristics for girls includes breast development (B1-B5)1. The different maturation stages follow the increasing estradiol production from the ovaries also giving rise to the pubertal growth spurt. The QEPS-growth model makes it poss...

Background: Growth in height during puberty can be described by the QEPS-model as a combination of continuous basal growth, QES, and a specific pubertal growth function, P.Objective and hypotheses: To study the relationship between childhood BMISDS and the prepubertal gain and pubertal gain related to growth functions from the QEPS-model.Method: The longitudinally followed GrowUpGothenburg 1990 birth co...

Background, objective and hypotheses: By using QEPS, a new mathematic growth model, different components of growth can be analyzed, comparing secular trends of prepubertal and pubertal growth in Swedish birth cohorts born 1974 and 1990.Materials and methods: Two birth cohorts followed to adult height (AH) born around 1974 (1691 boys; 1666 girls) and 1990 (1647 boys; 1501 girls) being healthy, Nordic and born term. A subpopulation of 1974 (1177 boys; 1168...